MILWAUKEE—Leading by 17 points with just over 15 minutes left in the game, it seemed as if the Wisconsin men's basketball team (9-2 overall) would have no trouble picking up its first true road win of the young season. But after UW-Milwaukee (2-0 Horizon, 8-3 overall) responded with a 21-4 run over the next 10 minutes, the Badgers immediately had a fight on their hands. However, thanks in large part to a clutch three-pointer in the final minute made by senior guard Jordan Taylor, Wisconsin got out of Milwaukee with a 60-54 victory.
Playing in front of a crowd of 10,143 at US Cellular Arena, the largest crowd in UW-Milwaukee history, it looked for much of the night as if Wisconsin was going to run away with a rout. Junior forward Ryan Evans gave the Badgers a big lift throughout the first half and early in the second, scoring a career-high 16 points in just the first 26 minutes of the game.
"[Evans] did a really good job of taking his assignments and sticking to them," head coach Bo Ryan said. "He was also able to get some buckets finished underneath and to get to the free throw line. Defensively he has been doing a good job [all season] and offensively, same thing."
But as Evans began to struggle offensively, Panther senior forward Tony Meier took center stage, leading a sudden charge that took Tuesday's game from a laugher to a dual in a matter of minutes. Meier finished the game with a team-high 15 points on 6-of-16 shooting, hitting two clutch three-point shots during the Panther run before going cold as UW-Milwaukee faded down stretch.
Tuesday night was all about runs. Wisconsin got off to a hot start with a 14-2 run in the first half that gave them a 22-8 lead in the first half. Ultimately, the cushion of that early run allowed the Badgers to withstand a furious comeback by the Panthers that had US Cellular Arena rocking late in the second half.
Having survived the test Milwaukee gave them, the Badgers are now able to use the experience gained Tuesday night as they head into Big Ten play.
"It was a good road test for us to play in an environment like this," junior forward Jared Berggren said. "To survive the run they made, it's good preparation for what is to come in the Big Ten season and the rest of the year."
After missing a late shot that could have gotten the Badgers right back in the game against North Carolina, Taylor's last-minute heroics were a welcome sight for a Badger team desperately needing their star point guard to recover from his recent slump. Giving a discernible yell after the bucket, it was clear Taylor understood the enormity of the shot, one that gave Wisconsin a cushion it ultimately rode to the six-point win.
"I felt like he backed off a bit so I took the shot," Taylor said. "I was just fortunate to have it go down."
Evans recalled the shot a bit differently, noting that he saw something in Taylor that has been missing over the past few weeks.
"To tell you the truth, I knew it was going in," Evans said. "There's a look in his eye when you know Jordan is going to make the shot."
With their first road victory in hand, the Badgers now look forward to the homestretch of the non-conference schedule. Just two games and 14 days remain before the Big Ten opener in Lincoln, Nebraska on December 27th.
